Wayne Holcomb Constantly Asks Why No One Around Him Laughs at His Jokes
camera shows an abandoned Forever Knights base in Teviv. It shows a room of the main floor, with windows leaving to the outside, just like in the Aterian base. The outside is dark, as it is just after midnight. It transitions from room to room, first a room with several tables, then an underground lab, then a room with storage lockers, before transitioning to another room with tables. Maxwell Wagner, the sole operative in the base, sits alone, drumming his fingers on a table, but otherwise silently waiting. a door opens, and Pietro Czeswin casually walks in. ecstatic: Oh, I just can't wait to hear about how that Esper responded to my greeting. coldly: You're unnecessary stunt got that man killed. disappointed: Oh, Nathan killed him? standing up: No, another did... ecstatic expression turns to half-desiring, half-dumbfounded. Pietro: Another Esper? Max: A quick electrostatic shock from his hands killed my agent in less than a second. Pietro: Electrostatic shock? This bodes well for my theory, then. Max: Spare me the details... The important thing is that there was a witness... two witnesses actually. Pietro: Go on. Max: The second Esper has a daughter, so she'll definitely be of use to us. back to his ecstatic persona: Oh I can already see how this will play out... Max: The other witness is far more interesting... A police officer who seemed to be part of this team that you mentioned... He saw Nathan recover from his injury, and is sure to be questioning what he saw... It could divide the team... Pietro: Aren't you glad you followed my instructions? Max: I guess I am... heads for the door that Pietro entered the room through. As he walks away, the camera cuts to Ateria around the same time. Towards the center of the city, police officers are helping people pack up their things and head for the northern gate. A family of a father, mother, son, and daughter runs by as Wayne Holcomb, actually doing his job for once, helps a young couple leave their house with their belongings. Wayne: They're you go ma'am... start to run towards the gate as Wayne turns around. He starts to walk towards the next house, but a small shoe suddenly hits him in the face before he can look forward. He does so, and sees a woman holding a baby. The other shoe is in it's hand, but the mother quickly grabs it. Woman: Don't do that. Wayne: Don't worry ma'am, just part of the job. picks up the shoe and hands it to the woman. Wayne: This young'un's gonna be a soldier one day, I can tell. Woman: Oh no, not my little Christopher. He's going to be a doctor just like his dad. Wayne: Ma'am, I'm a soldier. I can tell who is and isn't cut out for this line of work, and your son is definitely cut out for it. Woman: Is this some sort of joke? Only idiots with a death wish join the military. holding both of the babies tiny shoes in her hand, and the baby Christopher in her other, she starts to run off for the gate. A man exits the house, holding two suit cases. He locks the door behind him and starts to follow him wife. Man: Why don't you go back to doing your job, bud? stares at the man, mouth open, as he runs off. He hears the sound of a To'kustar approaching, and turns around. He sees people running his way, as a To'kustar walks across his field of vision, beyond a row of houses in front of him. He jumps up and slowly coasts along on his Skywings, approaching the To'kustar as it runs. He gains enough altitude to see a man running away from the To'kustar. He rushes in as the man maintains his distance from the To'kustar, but moments later he trips and falls on the ground, allowing the To'kustar to get closer. Wayne zooms forward, presumably to delay the To'kustar, allowing the man to get away, but the man remains on the ground, and Wayne comes to an immediate stop; the man's leg is injured, as he can't get away. Wayne starts to breath heavily as he speechlessly looks on in horror, unable to look away. flies over, seeing Wayne watch the To'kustar motionlessly, but not seeing the man lying on the ground. He gets next to Wayne and tries to figure out what is going on. Samuel: Really, why are you just-- suddenly stops as he notices the man on the ground. Before he can react, the To'kustar approaches the man, and everything goes silent. The man looks above him at the 25 foot To'kustar, trembling. devastated: NO! anyone can do anything, the To'kustar crushes the man under his foot, splattering blood across the street and instantly killing him. Both Samuel and Wayne watch on in horror. Samuel: You were waiting there for long enough; you could have saved him! doesn't respond, still in shock about what happened. Samuel: Just goes to show that you really did only join the police cause you didn't think you would ever have to do anything. draws two swords and rushes at the To'kustar, swerving around its side and then boosting up to its frill, striking it, killing the To'kustar. He then flies back and stops next to Wayne. The To'kustar hits the ground with a boom. Samuel: Maybe you should learn how to do something before you get yourself killed. This isn't a joke anymore. flies off to continue helping citizens as Wayne stares at scene in horror. Steam starts to rise from the body of the To'kustar, as the blood from the dead man begins to slowly trickle down the slight slope of the street. Song ---- camera shows the inside of a home in Teviv, in the early morning. Trevor Faraday stands in the kitchen of the home, pouring a beverage into a mug. Three plates with cooked eggs and toasted bread wait on the counter. He turns to the dining area of his home and sees Nathan Loretta sitting at a table, eyes closed, thinking to himself. Across from him, Olivia Faraday, Trevor's wife, sits and waits for him to bring breakfast to the table. Moments later, he places one of the plates in front of her, and another in front of Nathan. The latter opens his eyes as Trevor walks back into the kitchen, grabs the final plate and the mug, and then walks back into the dining room, places them at a spot at the table between Nathan and Olivia, and sits down. Nathan: I said I wasn't hungry. Trevor: Just because you can't die doesn't mean you can go days without eating. I know you, it's probably been days since you've eaten. Nathan: I'm not hungry, so I'm not going to eat, and even if I was going to eat, I wouldn't accept food from you without anything in return. stern: How long has it been? reluctantly: Four days. Trevor: Well, I don't know how you do it. I've been alive a lot longer than you and I haven't gone a day without eating, oh, probably in 200 years. takes a sip from his mug. Olivia places her fork down after having eaten some of the eggs. Trevor: Considering we didn't get much of a chance to talk last night before you conked out, I guess I'll start with what brings you to town. Nathan: I was called to Ateria to investigate To'kustars. and Olivia widen their eyes, unaware of the recent developments. Olivia: What did you find? Nathan: Turns out they never disappeared, and now they've gotten through Wall Via. Trevor: Have you told Chief Thames? Nathan: He knows, and he's sent the next messenger on the line. Ultimately, the capital will now, and the military will be sent in, at least that what I'm assuming they're going to do. Trevor: Did you get a chance to dowse the city before you left? Nathan: I didn't, but it turns out the police chief's daughter is one. She's in Teviv now. Trevor: So that's the new one I detected. There's a couple in town, but except for this girl, I already knew about all of them. And the Knights are extremely deprived in this town, so we don't have to worry. a second thought, Nathan starts to pick up a piece of toast and eat is as Trevor talks. Trevor: Have you convinced her yet? still chewing: I told her... swallows, finally realizing that he had put food in his mouth. Nathan: But she doesn't believe me yet. nods his head and then takes another sip from his mug. Trevor: And about last night... Nathan: No, I was in a bad situation, because-- suddenly stop, widens his eyes, and stands up. Nathan: Oh my god, that's right, someone was following me. An officer, and he saw me get stabbed, and I completely forgot about it. walks away from the table and grabs his jacket, which was lying on a chair. unsure: Where you going? Nathan: To the station. Stay here, I don't want you getting involved. opens the door to the house and quickly slams it shut, running off for the station before Trevor can respond. jokingly: Does he have to treat me like I'm his son? Olivia: You act like his father sometimes, Trevor. closes his eyes and smiles, in agreement with his wife. camera cuts to Nathan arriving at the police station. He walks in, and sees only Ryan Thames in the lobby. He looks around, ignoring Ryan at first. Nathan: Is anyone else here? Ryan: No; Lawrence and some of the others took the kids exploring the town... It's the only chance they'll have to do that. I think Krista and Kathryn went off on their own, too. Nathan: I see... walks out of the lobby and down a hallway. Nathan: ...but I should probably stay here anyway in case people show up. arrives at the end of the hallway, which turns into a short hallway leading right into an open area with exercise equipment, including padded training poles and weights for lifting. Nathan: Wow, the equipment here is so bad... camera pans ahead to Nathan training alone, repeatedly kicking one of the padded training poles. He appears to be doing this only to release anger, instead of actually training. He slowly but repeatedly punches the pad with both his hands. After a couple moments, he looks to his left and sees Ryan standing in the short hallway next to Logan Fitzpatrick. Nathan, unsure of who had been following him, quickly makes the connection and stops his training. He turns to Ryan and Logan. Nathan: Is something the matter? angry, despite his statement: Not as much angry as I am afraid of something which I don't understand. points out him, clearly in frustration. Logan: And that's how you survived being stabbed. ---- The Royal Guard directly serves the royalty and the nobility, protecting them. It is also in charge of holding military prisoners. The entire military is led by a high council with seven members, consisting of a Supreme Commander, a Sub-Commander, and the heads of the five branches. ---- camera shows the confrontation between Nathan, Ryan, and Logan. The last of the three men stares at the first with a look of anger and fear. Nathan looks at him back, confused as to what Logan is talking about. confused: Stabbed? What are you talking about? Logan: Last night. I left the station just as you were leaving with Sophia. I saw you get stabbed by some man in a mask. Nathan: Oh, you saw that? He didn't stab me; I don't even think he had a knife. Logan: Liar, I saw you drop a knee from being stabbed! Nathan: I went to the ground to relax for a moment after being held by him. now the confused one: That doesn't make any sense... throws off his jacket and then quickly takes off his shirt, revealing the part of his gut where he would have been stabbed. angry: I wasn't stabbed. Look for yourself. confused in a different way: What about the man who did attack you? After he did, someone else attacked him, and then I saw you walk away with him. stares at Logan with a confused look on his face, continuing the deceptive behavior. interjecting: Logan, it's clear that Nathan wasn't stabbed, so maybe you were just seeing things. Logan: No, I wasn't! I know what I saw! grabs Logan around the wrist. Logan: Why don't you go sit down-- throws Ryan off of his wrist. angry: Don't touch me...! Bastard. storms off, fearing the fact that he might be delusional. Ryan turns to Nathan, who starts to put his shirt back on. Ryan: I'm sorry about that. He's known for having a hot temper. Nathan: I'm less concerned with him and more concerned at the fact that I was attacked. Ryan: Oh, you were? By whom? Nathan: A masked man. I'd guess a member of the Forever Knights, but I don't know. Ryan: That's strange. I didn't think the Knights were that active in this town. pauses for a moment. Ryan: Well, if you were doing something here, I can-- Nathan: No, I think I'll leave. walks out of the exercise area without saying another word. Ryan doesn't follow him, but moments later walks out of the room as well. ---- camera cuts to the next morning in Ateria. The sun has barely risen above the wall, but there is a large crowd gathered in a large semicircle just inside the northern gate. Lars, Viola, and Sonia Schmidt stand towards the left side, with the closed part of the semicircle at the bottom. They stand and wait for instructions from the military. Next to them, another family of a husband, wife, and young son stand waiting. The young boy, who can't be older than 10, shakes in place. Lars looks at the boy, and then up at the father. Lars: Say, you're Teru's father, right? man looks at him and then makes a realization. He is indeed Soichiro Hikami, Teru's father. Standing beside him is his wife Naomi Hikami and their son Mikoto Hikami. Soichiro: Lars! Long time no see! How have you been? Lars: I've been good... So, how's it been, without your son? Soichiro: My son is... Naomi: so brave... We're very proud of our son. Soichiro: It's hard to put it into words, because I already miss him, but I know he's strong, and I know he's safe. camera cuts to across the group of people. Connor Yan flies in on his Skywings and lands on the center of the semicircle, preparing to address the group. Far behind him, many officers, including Samuel and Wayne, are leading horses bringing carriages to the people, likely to take them to Teviv. Connor: Alright everyone, we've decided to make the trip to Teviv. I will personally escort all of you there. announcement is met with immediate criticism. #1: Only you!? No thanks, buddy! Some of us value our lives! #1: Why do we need protection? If there are To'kustars on the way then we're already doomed! #2: I'm staying right here! Connor: We've contacted the military and that's what they told us to do. They're on their way to Teviv, so once you're all there you'll be extremely safe under their protection. We won't be able to bring everyone in one trip, so some of the police officers are going to be staying in town to round up the rest of the citizens. Everyone who's already here will be making the first trip. #3: You can't force us to go anywhere! That should be against the law! #2: We're being forced to leave most of our stuff behind?! stepping forward: You people are missing the point. You should be thankful that the government cares enough about your lives to be willing to escort you. If they wanted to, they could just let you all die; after all, you were the ones that chose to live at the far reaches of human civilization. in the group suddenly quiets down, recognizing the brutal truth of Lars' words. A man steps forwards. #4: What kind of government wouldn't listen to its people!? We don't want to leave, and therefore we're not going to. Lars: You want to stay where you're not safe? Maybe you should stay behind. Connor: Okay, new plan. All of you can stay if you want, but with the To'kustars running around the city, don't come crying to me asking to be let into Teviv. #4: Are you saying that-- Connor: Yes. If you don't leave now, you won't be able to leave. Ever. And with the To'kustars running around, that will be the end of your life as you know it. again everyone is quiet. As soon as Connor finishes, the officers arrive with the carriages. Connor: We're leaving in five minutes if you're in. camera cuts to the carriages starting to leave Ateria five minutes later, similar to how Lawrence and the children left Ateria a few days prior. Inside one of the carriages, the Schmidt and Hikami families sit, with an officer navigating the carriage in the front section. The Schmidts are sitting on one side, and the Hikamis on the other. Soichiro: Oh, Lars, I never got a chance to ask you how it's been without your son. Lars: Sven's always been... A free spirit, if you understand what I mean. He does his own thing, and I guess this is just the next step along that path. adjusts his glasses, looking through a crack in the carriage out into the open world. Lars: Actually, I'm sure deep down I'm not that different from him. A younger me may have enjoyed the rush of excitement of this new experience as much as I'm sure he did. camera to Teviv, around the same time of day, also with the sun barely sticking up over the wall. The weather is pleasant, just as it was the day before. Inside the police station, both the children from Ateria: Sven Schmidt, Arik Iverson, Teru Hikami, Michael James, Hadria Carter, Lily Scott, and Noelle Williams, and the children from Teviv: Pryor Hade, Rachel Stone, Nico Valencia, and Sophia Faraday, stand in a line in an empty room. Across from them stand Lawrence Carter, Ryan Thames, Derek Brady, Jonah Bishop, Prescott Martin, Susan Quell, and Logan Fitzpatrick stand in a line, preparing to begin their first day of training. Lawrence stands in the center of the seven instructors, as his daughter stands across from him in the center of the eleven students. Lawrence: Welcome everyone, to your first day of training. takes a step forward. Lawrence: This is the first thing we will learn. enthusiastically salutes, placing his left hand in a fist behind his back, parallel to the ground, and his right hand in a fist at his left shoulders, such that his arm is diagonally across his chest. Lawrence: By serving on this team, you are serving the King, and so you must now how to effectively salute. relaxes his salute. Lawrence: When someone a higher officer salutes you, you salute back and wait for their call. returns to saluting. The children immediately salute, but many of them are slouching over or barely in the correct position. Lawrence: Schmidt, stand up straight. James, left shoulder, not the middle of your chest. Valencia, behind your back, not in front of it. Williams, what are you even doing with your hands? relaxes, as do the children. Lawrence: Let's try that again, shall we. enthusiastically salutes. This time, the children straighten their stances, and all give a flawless salute, staring straight forward into the eyes of their instructors. At the side of the room, Nathan Loretta watches. The camera focuses on the eleven children, still saluting, as the camera show them head on. Nathan: They learn quickly... They'll have everything mastered in no time, and then, the To'kustars won't even know what hit them. Be Continued Characters *Maxwell Wagner *Pietro Czeswin *Wayne Holcomb *Samuel Wright *Trevor Faraday *Nathan Loretta *Olivia Faraday *Ryan Thames *Logan Fitzpatrick *Lars Schmidt *Viola Schmidt *Sonia Schmidt *Soichiro Hikami *Naomi Hikami *Mikoto Hikami *All the children and instructors